DEAD UNTIL DARK
My mother always told me, "only bite off what you can chew". This is some serious advice to take into consideration, especially when living in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. I might even go further and say you would hope your mother could follow her own words in support of you when you come out; not out of the closet, rather, out of the coffin. This is the very real situation in this daring, fictitious story where being a vampire and waking up at night, comes as natural as their character counterparts wake up in the morning. Charlaine Harris's bestselling novel published in 2001, Dead Until Dark, gives a vampire town a whole new meaning.
When I first started reading this book, I struggled to find a reason why this novel stood out amongst all the other vampire stories. I figured it was a typical vampire story with the love conflict of a human and vampire fighting to be together. I even almost decided that I did not like the book, but after analyzing the story and engaging in discussions about the novel with a few acquaintances, I realized the hidden meaning behind the plot. This is when I made the realization that this novel is actually brilliant.
Sookie Stackhouse, claiming to have a special "gift" of telepathy, becomes interested in vampire, Bill Compton, the second he walks through the doors of her workplace. When he gets into a little bit of trouble, she risks her life and saves him, then a couple days later, he returns the favor. They start falling in love and their relationship grows stronger, however, as others perceive it, a vampire and a human should not be together. Throughout the novel, their are many deaths, which people assume to be at fault of vampires, but to everyones surprise, the killer ends up being a human.
The story takes place in a town where vampires are openly known of, however, they all they're trying to do is fit in with society. Not only do they want to fit in with humans, but more importantly, they want the same rights as humans. Throughout the book, Bill Compton faces situations where his attempt to integrate with society is challenged. This can be compared to racial segregation and the civil rights movement, because at the end of the day, these vampires are certainly different, but are not doing anything to not be treated equally. We have a vast history of civil rights movements where individuals labeled as inferior are pursuing all in their power to be treated equal. It's a story told time again, which we have seen with woman rights, Martin Luther King's, "I Have a Dream" speech, and even the current issue of gay rights. The challenge for attaining legal recognition for natural born civil rights is depicted in this familiar story using vampires as the vessel for the second class citizens and living people as an ignorant party who are fighting the definitive path of social assimilation. It's not that Bill has never done anything bad, but its the reasons behind why he does these things that has more meaning. Culture is so afraid of change that it is looking them straight in the eye, it reinstates the notion that those classified as inferior, out of rebellion and desperation, will act as people perceive them, by exhibiting acts of violence and rebellion. The people of Bon Temps perceive vampires so negatively and the idea of them having any rights seems nothing short of ridiculous. Bill Compton is fighting for his rights just like african american's had to do years ago. However, as much as he stays out of trouble, he is still seen as a suspect for the murders occurring in the town, frowned upon for trying to fall in love with human, and just feared by people because of what he is.
Aside from the comparison to civil rights and the hidden message behind the story, "Dead Until Dark" also fits perfectly into the horror genre. If anything, the concept of the vampires as the second class citizens fighting for their rights makes it the much of a better horror story. The novel has everything you need a good horror book to have. The combination of the vampires, mysterious deaths, a small southern town with a lot of drama, and the love story between a mortal and immortal works together to create suspense and intensity in a more serious attempted novel. As history shows, change doesn't happen overnight, but we are left in a cliffhanger in a story told through the experiences of Sookie and Bill, as they end the first book of this series, continuing the fight, anything but separate.
When I first started reading this book, I struggled to find a reason why this novel stood out amongst all the other vampire stories. I figured it was a typical vampire story with the love conflict of a human and vampire fighting to be together. I even almost decided that I did not like the book, but after analyzing the story and engaging in discussions about the novel with a few acquaintances, I realized the hidden meaning behind the plot. This is when I made the realization that this novel is actually brilliant.
Sookie Stackhouse, claiming to have a special "gift" of telepathy, becomes interested in vampire, Bill Compton, the second he walks through the doors of her workplace. When he gets into a little bit of trouble, she risks her life and saves him, then a couple days later, he returns the favor. They start falling in love and their relationship grows stronger, however, as others perceive it, a vampire and a human should not be together. Throughout the novel, their are many deaths, which people assume to be at fault of vampires, but to everyones surprise, the killer ends up being a human.
The story takes place in a town where vampires are openly known of, however, they all they're trying to do is fit in with society. Not only do they want to fit in with humans, but more importantly, they want the same rights as humans. Throughout the book, Bill Compton faces situations where his attempt to integrate with society is challenged. This can be compared to racial segregation and the civil rights movement, because at the end of the day, these vampires are certainly different, but are not doing anything to not be treated equally. We have a vast history of civil rights movements where individuals labeled as inferior are pursuing all in their power to be treated equal. It's a story told time again, which we have seen with woman rights, Martin Luther King's, "I Have a Dream" speech, and even the current issue of gay rights. The challenge for attaining legal recognition for natural born civil rights is depicted in this familiar story using vampires as the vessel for the second class citizens and living people as an ignorant party who are fighting the definitive path of social assimilation. It's not that Bill has never done anything bad, but its the reasons behind why he does these things that has more meaning. Culture is so afraid of change that it is looking them straight in the eye, it reinstates the notion that those classified as inferior, out of rebellion and desperation, will act as people perceive them, by exhibiting acts of violence and rebellion. The people of Bon Temps perceive vampires so negatively and the idea of them having any rights seems nothing short of ridiculous. Bill Compton is fighting for his rights just like african american's had to do years ago. However, as much as he stays out of trouble, he is still seen as a suspect for the murders occurring in the town, frowned upon for trying to fall in love with human, and just feared by people because of what he is.
Aside from the comparison to civil rights and the hidden message behind the story, "Dead Until Dark" also fits perfectly into the horror genre. If anything, the concept of the vampires as the second class citizens fighting for their rights makes it the much of a better horror story. The novel has everything you need a good horror book to have. The combination of the vampires, mysterious deaths, a small southern town with a lot of drama, and the love story between a mortal and immortal works together to create suspense and intensity in a more serious attempted novel. As history shows, change doesn't happen overnight, but we are left in a cliffhanger in a story told through the experiences of Sookie and Bill, as they end the first book of this series, continuing the fight, anything but separate.